Famous Latinx Birthdays

Photo from The Paris Review, 1984. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Julio Cortázar! (1914-1984) An Argentinian writer known as a modern master of the short story, though he also wrote poetry, novels, and other works, Cortázar is credited as one of the founders of the Latin American Boom. Born in Brussels in 1914, he and his family returned to Argentina after the war, and he grew up in Banfield, near Buenos Aires. His father left the family soon after they returned in 1919, never to be heard from again. As a child, Cortázar was often sick and spent much time in bed reading the works of Jules Verne. He graduated with a degree in teaching and worked as a schoolteacher through the 1940s, only writing on the side. In 1951 he moved to Paris and began writing in earnest. By the time he died in 1984 at 69 years old, he was widely revered for his writing, and the Madrid newspaper El País published 11 full pages of tributes and farewells over two days. Cortázar became deeply inves...

Photo from The Paris Review, 1967. Click HERE .  ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Jorge Luis Borges! (1899-1986) A short story writer, essayist, poet, and translator from Argentina whose work explored existential questions with dreams, labyrinths, philosophy, libraries, mirrors, and mythology, Borges is often credited with beginning the magic realist movement in Latin American literature in the 20th century. His best known books are Ficciones and El Aleph , both published in the 40s. Born in the suburbs of Buenos Aires, he moved with his family to Switzerland in 1914, where they stayed until 1921. Raised speaking both Spanish and English (he was reading the works of Shakespeare, in English, at the age of 12), Borges eventually became fluent in many languages. He served as a Professor of English Literature at the University of Buenos Aires for many years, as well as the Director of the National Library. When Perón returned from exile and was re-elected in 1973, Borges immediately resi...